Systems Engineer, Network Protocols & Distributed Systems Location: Austin (Hybrid)
Join the team helping shape the future of the Internet. We're building high-performance systems that handle a quarter of the Internet's traffic. Our work influences open standards (like QUIC, MASQUE, and ECH), involves close collaboration with the IETF, and pushes the boundaries of what's possible in networking and security.
You don't need to be an HTTP or cryptography expert to join - we're looking for excellent engineers who love tough problems, want to learn deeply, and are excited to contribute to one of the most technically demanding areas of infrastructure.
What you'll do
- Build and operate systems that terminate HTTP and TLS at Internet scale
- Migrate core infrastructure from NGINX to a next-gen Rust-based proxy
- Measure and improve protocol performance across real-world traffic
- Contribute to open source and industry standards
- Learn from and work alongside some of the leading engineers in this space
You might be a good fit if you:
- Have solid systems programming experience (Rust, C, or similar)
- Experience/understanding of HTTP/2, HTTP/3, QUIC, congestion control, or transport-layer protocols
- Thrive in complex technical domains and enjoy learning new things
- Care about building reliable, secure, and performant software
- Are motivated by impact - technical, operational, and on the Internet itself
- Come from a background that's underrepresented in tech - we value diverse perspectives
Bonus
- Proven ability to scale systems under high throughput and low latency demands
- Experience driving architecture or protocol-level change in production systems
- Contributions to open standards or open source projects
Top Skills
What We Do
Cloudflare, Inc. (NYSE: NET) is the leading connectivity cloud company on a mission to help build a better Internet. It empowers organizations to make their employees, applications and networks faster and more secure everywhere, while reducing complexity and cost. Cloudflare’s connectivity cloud delivers the most full-featured, unified platform of cloud-native products and developer tools, so any organization can gain the control they need to work, develop, and accelerate their business.
Powered by one of the world’s largest and most interconnected networks, Cloudflare blocks billions of threats online for its customers every day. It is trusted by millions of organizations – from the largest brands to entrepreneurs and small businesses to nonprofits, humanitarian groups, and governments across the globe.
Why Work With Us
Cloudflare employees come from all walks of life. We are mission-driven, and our team is energized by a collaborative, creative environment that celebrates our differences and fosters new ways to grow together.
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Cloudflare Offices
Hybrid Workspace
Employees engage in a combination of remote and on-site work.
We are committed to developing a global team that is distributed with a flexible working approach. Doing this equitably and inclusively is essential to our success. Visit our careers site for more on 'How & Where We Work.'
